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City streetscaping continues

Whether you’re new in town or a longtime resident, the City of Sequim wants to keep you on the right path and sitting pretty.

Downtown streetscaping projects continue in downtown Sequim after city staff installed a new way-finding sign Tuesday, Aug. 27, on South Sequim Avenue.

Barbara Hanna, communications and marketing director for the city, said the sign is part of a $50,000 project from the Sequim Lodging Tax fund started after the July 2011 approval of the Sequim Downtown Plan.

The plan’s three main objectives, she said, include installing way-finding signs to the downtown, establishing a distinct color and feeling for downtown and installing furniture for a hospitality area.

This latest sign, directing people to parking, restrooms and shopping, is the first of three with the other two going on light posts at Heritage Park and between Second and Third avenues.

Hanna said a fourth sign, tentatively planned near the new City Hall and Police Station is on hold until the project is complete.

New benches and trash bins were installed on July 31 and Aug. 1 with the most visible location at the intersection of Sequim Avenue and Washington Street, where the City of Sequim recently purchased the property, formerly the Gull lot.

In total, 13 eggplant-hued bins were installed along with more eggplant-colored bike racks.

Hanna approached the Sequim City Council in March with the proposed installations, which they approved including the distinctive color.

She’s been working with a merchants advisory group with representatives from Sunshine Cafe, Blue Whole Gallery and Purple Haze Lavender on the signage.

Hanna said they’ve taken an inventory of the way-finding signage and tried to incorporate basic amenities like bathrooms, parking and shopping.

Hanna said she’s been hearing good things about the installations.

“Certainly, when you do things like this you want everyone to love it,” she said. “We’ve all seen a lot of people sitting on the benches.”

Second phase

At this point, Hanna said she’s about two-thirds done with the second component of the project, which includes street level and pedestrian way-finding system.

She hopes to complete designs for seven way-finding kiosks by the fall for installation by end of the year.

Each kiosk will wrap around a light pole with a distinct Sequim-Dungeness theme for each one.

On the street side will be the kiosk’s theme, such as agriculture, with a photograph. On the sidewalk side will be information about the theme and on the side panels will be alternating maps and directions.

All seven kiosks include a downtown business map that Hanna hopes to update every few years. Highly detailed maps of the city and a regional map will alternate among kiosks.

Soon, she plans to place new plants and pots at the corner of Sequim Avenue and Washington Street to soften the look once the flower baskets are taken down.

Hanna also is working on additional signage directing people to public parking on Cedar and Bell streets.

Some criticism arose about the city overusing its logo on its products. Hanna disagrees.

“It is part of our corporate branding because we want people to know it’s official from the City of Sequim,” she said. “There is a lot of it right now because it’s brand new. I think everything turned out really beautiful.”

For 2014, nothing is budgeted in the city for further projects at this point, Hanna said.

Funds for this project were budgeted for 2012 but carried into this year because Hanna said she wanted to take her time researching the projects before proposing anything since it’s not her primary expertise.

For more on streetscaping, visit www.sequimwa.gov and search “streetscaping” or call the City of Sequim at 683-4139.

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